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Group discusses registration

Student Senate discussed Wednesday whether or not registration times for classes each semester should be moved to before or after students have classes rather during class.

Senate Academic Affairs committee chair Ryan Brellenthin said representatives from the University Registrar’s office had recently asked him to gauge the response for moving the registration times. As it currently stands, registration times are on two days for each class year and between the hours of 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.

However, because many students have classes during these times, Brellenthin said the Registrar’s office was considering moving registration times to either in the early morning, between the hours of 6 and 8 a.m., or late at night, between the hours of 8 p.m. and midnight.

While registration times are scheduled around a student’s classes, Brellenthin said students with early morning classes were less likely to get a good registration time and thus could lose a competitive advantage in registering for classes. The process of deciding whether students register on the first or second day would still be decided based on the last digit of the student’s ID number (odd numbers register on the first day for spring semester classes, even numbers register on the first day for fall semester classes).

Senate Technology committee chair Devin Fee said problems could arise with students who have difficulties registering, as help desks would not be open both early in the morning and late at night.

“You’d be pushed essentially to the next business day and would lose your advantage if you had an early time,” Fee said.

Lewis Senator Robin Brown said the early morning registration times would be better because people would be too busy with activities in the evening.

“I think it should be in the morning before all the classes,” Brown said. “People are going to have clubs or projects late at night.”

Siegfried senator Ryan Hawley said students would be furious if they were forced to wake up in the wee hours of the morning or stay up until midnight just to register for classes.

“I think you’re going to have a ton of angry people,” Hawley said.

Overall, student body vice president Grant Schmidt said most people seemed to be happy with the registration times the way they are currently administered, and he said he would most likely recommend they don’t change them.

“There doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming response for change,” Schmidt said.

In other senate news:

u By a vote of 26-1, the Senate amended the constitution to include a new stipulation for those appealing for funding from the Council of Representatives’ (COR) Collaboration Fund.

Senate Oversight Committee chair Ian Secviar introduced the amendment, which does not requires that representatives of clubs seeking money from COR be present at the meetings where the resolution is discussed. The amendment also requires the clubs’ presidents to give COR one week of advance notice that they will be appealing for funds.

“If there is no one there to answer questions to help alleviate apprehension, it could put a lot of pressure on the vote,” Secviar said.

u Brellenthin was elected by a vote of 26 to 1 as the student representative to the Advisory Committee on Academic and Student Life (ACASL), with Brellenthin being the only nay vote. University President Fr. John Jenkins had requested the Senate elect a student representative for the council, which seeks to integrate academics better into student life.